Alondra De La Parra

Alondra de la Parra (born October 31, 1980) is a Mexican conductor. She is also the founder and artistic director of the New York-based Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, an orchestra that promotes young soloists and composers from the Americas. Raised in Mexico City, de la Parra began her piano studies at age 7 and the cello at age 13. During adolescence she discovered her passion for conducting and at the age of 16 moved to London to pursue high school and music studies at the St. Leonard’s Mayfield School. In the year 2000 at age 19, de la Parra moved to New York City to study Piano and Conducting at Manhattan School of Music. She obtained a BM in Piano Performance under the direction of Jeffrey Cohen and studied conducting with her mentor, Kenneth Kiesler, receiving an MA in Conducting in 2008. De la Parra has also been coached by Marin Alsop, Charles Dutoit, and Kurt Masur. De la Parra's recent conducting highlights include appearances with the New World Symphony,Houston and San Antonio Orchestras, concerts with the Singapore Sun Festival Orchestra working with Geoffrey Rush, the Russian National Orchestra collaborating with Joshua Bell and Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, and Venezuela's Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra. She was also awarded that orchestra's highest honor given to a musician. De la Parra has appeared as guest conductor with the Westchester Philharmonic, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Veracruz, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes, Uruguay’s Montevideo Philharmonic and Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra, among others. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as guest conductor of the New York Pops Orchestra. A champion of new music, de la Parra has presented more than twenty world premieres by composers including Enrico Chapela, Paul Brantley, Paul Desenne, Eugenio Toussaint, Ernesto Villa-Lobos, and many more. Future engagements include performances with the New World Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Tivoli Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Phoenix Symphony, among others. It was during her undergraduate studies at Manhattan School of Music that de la Parra created what would be the start of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. In 2004 the Mexican Consulate asked de la Parra to produce a concert featuring Mexican music for the Mexico Now Festival. A 65-piece orchestra concert was produced to critical acclaim from major publications. It was at this event that de la Parra became the first Mexican woman to ever conduct a concert in New York City. Since its inception, POA has accomplished two international tours, initiated a Young Composers' Competition, and established an Arts and Education Program, while also presenting an annual season in New York City.